Hyderabad: The surrendering of three doctors from Barkas Community Centre Hospital before the Director of Health and Medical Education left the centre without enough doctors to cater to the 350-400 patients who came daily.
Since February 10, there has been only one paediatrician and one gynaecologist in the hospital and they were finding it difficult to manage the out-patient department.
The emergency department too was not working at all. Children from the area of Old City who came for emergency care had to be rushed to other centres.
The community centre was frequented by patients mainly from the Old City area and they were dependent mainly on the centre’s medical services.
The surrender of the doctors created problems for the patients who also complained to the Director of Health and Medical Education. Mr Majid Hatim, a resident of the area, said, “People are coming here for small ailments like cold, cough and fever. But now with such a huge rush, they are forced to go to private doctors and pay for treatment. It is the poor who are affected.”
The heavy rush was mainly for routine ailments among children and elderly citizens. Mr Mujtaba Hasan Askari, who volunteered with ambulance services, explained, “The community centre at Barkas was also catering to emergency patients. But owing to lack of doctors these cases have to be sent to Malakpet area hospital and Osmania General Hospital. Every day we are sending 15 to 20 cases using ambulance and private transport services. The government must appoint doctors and start operating the existing units so that the people do not have to go far.”
The administration staff was left clueless and admit that running the centre with just two doctors was extremely difficult.
